Having absorbed the reggae and soca music all day long in the stadium, it came as a pleasant shock, late in the night, to see a group of locals gathered at Heritage Key, the main city centre, swinging to the strains of Bhangra.
It wouldn't have been surprising in Trinidad, which has a large East Indian community, but to see Antiguans enjoy Mundiya to bach ke rahin was a revelation. It was odd to see them 'wining' – a form more focused on hip gyrations - as opposed to following the traditional Punjabi steps. You could even see them mouthing some of the lyrics, though, what they meant was pretty much lost on them.
All this, of course, was taking place in a promotional event for the 2007 cricket World Cup. The fashion shows and dance performances were organised by Team 2K7, from the Ministry of Tourism in Antigua and Barbuda. It was an attempt to gauge the response such carnivals will elicit, to plan ahead for big events next year.
Jeffrey Ettienne, the head of the fashion show troupe, said he picked up the Punjabi album on one of his tours in England. "It's strange, its original, it's different too… it's a nice beat.”
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